Buhari’s Foreign Trips, Missing Chibok Girls And Fulani Herdsmen.
Recently, some people have criticised the foreign trips of President Muhammadu Buhari[ PMB] which they argued are not only becoming too frequent but also one too many! According to the critics, these trips do not have any direct positive impacts on the lives of average Nigerians as such junketing cannot immediately solve the debilitating socio-economic problems presently confronting the Nation. The critics, therefore, argued that, apart from the foreign exchange being lavished on such needless and seemingly endless trips in the face of scarce, dwindling government resources, it would be more plausible and better for PMB to stay back at home more often in order to squarely tackle the ginormous challenges facing the country head on.
Personally, I don’t have problems with PMB’s foreign trips, once he can put in place a clear, definite and solid policy direction and efficient and effective implementation machinery. Government is a collective responsibility and even though the buck stops on his table, everything cannot be done and handled by the President. If and when the President is away, the wheel of government machinery cannot grind to a halt once there is a clear policy direction, concrete plan of action and effective implementation mechanisms.
For crying out loud, you don’t expect the President to sit down and be ensconced in his ‘comfort zone’ of Asso Villa all the time, especially when you realise that he is the chief marketing officer of the country and with his global reputation as a leader with integrity and credibility needs to move round to market/sell the country which was becoming a hard sell because of the corrupt, discredited erstwhile government and more importantly considering that the country badly needs FDI’S at this time to re energise and re-ignite the ailing economy.. By the way, who says a septuagenarian president is really enjoying flying all the time, if not because it has become inescapable in the line of duty? I am sure PMB at his age is not finding such junketing funny at all.
Going forward, what is lacking and what PMB needs to do like yesterday is to put in place a solid economic ‘think tank’ team to formulate and drive government’s economic policies in order to ensure inclusive growth and sustainable development of the economy so that the people will begin to enjoy in earnest the dividends of the change agenda.
THINKING ABOUT THE CHIBOK GIRLS.
It is now over two years that the Chibok girls got missing.. After the initial denial and unnecessary controversy on whether the girls were missing or not, the erstwhile government of GEJ settled down to the reality of looking for the missing girls and bringing them back home. However in spite of all hopes and assurances, the GEJ government failed to bring back the girls! With the assumption of office of PMB and the promises he made during the electioneering, hope was rekindled that the girls will be found and brought back. With almost one year in the saddle, the PMB administration is yet to find and bring back the girls Aargh! It’s a shame! But we are still hoping and praying that sooner than later the girls will be found and brought back to reunite with their families. Yes, it’s good to remain hopeful. However, we must realise that hope is intrinsic, intangible and futuristic. Hope is only apparent but not real. In other words, hope may be dashed and not realised! It is good to keep hope alive. But hope without manifestation is dead. All said, enough of rhetoric and theatrics. Let’s move from words to more of action and results. Let the government do more and intensify efforts to BRING BACK THE GIRLS NOW.
STILL ON THE FULANI HERDSMEN…..
I hope and pray that it’s not these Boko Haram terrorists or their cohorts and appendages that have been disguising as Fulani herdsmen creating havoc, killing and maiming people all over the country! Otherwise, I still cannot understand how and why the so called herdsmen, who in plain language, are cattle rearers will be going around armed to the teeth with AK 47 AMG and other assorted riffles, guns and various dangerous weapons all in the name of cattle rearing which ordinarily does not require more than sticks! Are these so called “Fulani herdsmen” real cattle rearers or terrorists in disguise? Are cattle rearers supposed or permitted by law to carry guns and other dangerous weapons in the course of their business?
I think the security operatives, particularly the DSS, need to do more by digging deep into the activities of these “Fulani Herdsmen” in terms of intelligence gathering to get to the root of this matter before it embroils the whole country in a state of anarchy. A word is enough for the wise!
God bless Nigeria.
Kayode Oluwa.
Oluwa, a Leadership and change management expert and former Secretary-General, Nigerian Council of International Chamber of Commerce, wrote in from the Executive Business School, Lagos, via, kooluwa@ebsng,com
Views expressed are solely that of the author.
